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Rotating Yankee Veterans to Find the Right Balance

TAMPA, Fla. — For his first five seasons as a Yankee, Hideki Matsui was a fixture in left field, a steady and heady veteran who was rarely injured, hit with power and for average, and enjoyed the trust of Joe Torre. But much has changed.

After struggling at the plate and in the field late last season because of pain in his right knee, Matsui had arthroscopic surgery during the off-season. Torre was replaced as manager by Joe Girardi. And Matsui’s name was mentioned in reports of trade interest from the San Francisco Giants, who were looking to replace Barry Bonds.

Matsui has worked diligently to rehabilitate his knee, and Friday he took batting practice against the hard-throwing Joba Chamberlain.

“My desire is to play left field,” Matsui said through an interpreter. “That’s what I’ve been preparing for. Obviously, that’s not my decision to make. That will be the manager’s decision.”

Girardi said he wanted Damon, who played 32 games in left last year, to be the leadoff hitter. “We expect him to get 600 plate appearances and remain healthy,” he said.

Could Matsui and Damon, who was nagged by leg injuries last season, share that position and also rotate as designated hitters? Perhaps, but that might create another personnel jam. Both are left-handed batters, as is Jason Giambi, the 37-year-old first baseman who often serves as the D.H. Giambi was limited to 83 games last season because of a left foot injury.

Juggling the roles of these three veterans could become a challenge for Girardi.

When asked about Matsui, Girardi said: “We’ve got to make sure that he is able to do all the things that he would need to do to play a defensive position. You’ve just got to see how things iron themselves out.”

Photo

Johnny Damon, right, and Hideki Matsui, both nagged by injuries last season, will probably share time in left and at D.H.Credit
Julie Jacobson/Associated Press

Regarding Giambi, Girardi sounded more enthusiastic. “I’d like to see Jason be a very productive offensive and defensive player. Jason knows what’s at stake. There’s some interesting decisions to be made. Jason has done everything we’ve asked. He came in great shape. His mobility is better. His feet aren’t bothering him.”

But Giambi is only one name among a list of contenders to play first base that includes Shelley Duncan, Wilson Betemit, Morgan Ensberg, Juan Miranda, Eric Duncan and Jason Lane. Shelley Duncan, a right-handed batter, had 7 home runs and drove in 17 runs in 74 at-bats last season.

“He’s not just going to concentrate on first base right now,” Girardi said of Duncan. “You see him mostly at first base. He is also going to take fly balls because it gives us some versatility. Everyone’s in the first base mix. That’s the bottom line.”

Matsui hit .285 last season with 25 homers and 103 runs batted in. His best month was July, when he hit 13 home runs. He hit two in August and two in September. He said he felt pain in the knee in August while warming up before a game.

“I felt a sudden pain, a sharp pain, and I thought it was going to go away after a few days,” Matsui said. “But it just gradually got worse and worse and worse.”

He said the operation “cleared out loose bodies and cartilage.”

General Manager Brian Cashman would not comment on the Giants’ reported interest in Matsui, who has a no-trade clause in his contract.

He was more expansive on Matsui’s recovery. “He should be full throttle from start to finish,” Cashman said. “Whether he is in left field or D.H. remains to be seen.”

When asked whether he would consider a trade, Matsui said: “It’s hard to speculate. Somebody would have to speak to me directly. Then I would feel out the situation and make the decision of what is really possible.”

A version of this article appears in print on , on Page D5 of the New York edition with the headline: Rotating Yankee Veterans To Find the Right Balance. Order Reprints|Today's Paper|Subscribe